


Intentions

by Becci_chan



Category: Cobra Kai (Web Series)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Caring, Daniel is a good partner, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Johnny needs a hug, M/M, Trust Issues, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:00:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27876485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Becci_chan/pseuds/Becci_chan
Summary: Johnny isn't used to people being kind to him without expecting anything in return, so he tries to deal with everything on his own. Daniel teaches him it's okay to trust in good intentions.
Relationships: Daniel LaRusso/Johnny Lawrence, Robby Keene & Johnny Lawrence
Comments: 60
Kudos: 301





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, I'm very excited! :D  
> This is not only my 1st contribution to the Cobra Kai fandom, but also the longest creative writing I've done in years. And if that's not enough, it's also in English for the 1st time for me. 
> 
> The whole story is inspired by this tumblr post: https://newts-geiszler.tumblr.com/post/634583369729130496/daniel-sends-johnny-his-fave-food-when-he-can-tell
> 
> It's basically a "5 times Daniel did something for Johnny and 1 time Johnny did something for Daniel" and it's gotten out of hand a little and it's much softer than I had planned, but maybe I've been reading too many heavy Cobra Kai fanfics lately that made me wanting to write something softer. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

1

Johnny was lying on the couch with one arm covering his eyes to shield them from the light. He was utterly exhausted. Nothing particularly bad had happened, it was just one of these days. He could barely remember how he managed to teach his class, pushing his body through it somehow. Miguel had probably helped as well, but his mind was too clouded to know for sure.

His thoughts were dark and his body felt heavy and numb. He didn’t even shower after training, just went home and crashed on the couch. Beds were overrated anyway. Johnny tried to control his breathing, but it was difficult and needed more focus from him than he could muster at the moment.

He was tired and wished he could just fall asleep and wake up with more energy and a better mindset, but the way his mind was racing, he knew sleep was completely out of question. Johnny felt a little nauseous and couldn’t help but wonder when the last time he ate something was. He had a buttered toast and a fried egg in the morning, but other than that? He didn’t feel hungry though. And the fridge was empty anyway. Even if he felt like eating, he had nothing at home and everything else required effort – calling the delivery service or even going out to get something. The latter sounded impossible in his current state.

Johnny groaned and moved his arm from his eyes to the table next to him, fishing for his smartphone. There were a bunch of messages from Daniel sent throughout the day, all unread so far. He scrolled up to the first one, sent in the morning, wishing him an _energetic_ day. He sighed. This message didn’t age well.

In the next few texts Daniel was complaining about a very annoying customer he had. The little story concluded with a happy end at least. The guy had actually decided to buy a car even though Daniel would have bet that he only wanted to waste both of their time and then go to a different dealership.

A few hours after that, Johnny had received a message with a single question:

‘Are you alright, Johnny?’

But since he hadn’t responded, Daniel continued to ask if he could do something for him, if he needed anything, even offered to stop by after work. Johnny hoped he wouldn’t. He hated letting Daniel see this side of him. It wasn’t pretty. It was vulnerable. And he despised it, even knowing full well he could let his guard down with Daniel if he wanted to.

Daniel’s last message said:

‘Please contact me after training, okay? I’m worried about you.’

Johnny didn’t want Daniel to worry about him. He worried about a lot of things on a daily base already, he didn’t want to add himself to that list. He knew he already did and that Daniel didn’t mind, but Johnny tried his hardest not to be a burden.

He had started typing a short response, when the doorbell suddenly rang. It almost made Johnny jump. For a terrifying second he thought it could be Daniel, but if it was him, he would simply use the key Johnny had given him a while ago. Johnny didn’t want to see anyone right now and didn’t expect anyone either, so he decided to ignore the sound, even when it rang again. If it was really important, they would leave a message for him or come back another day.

Johnny tried to focus on his phone again and the text he wanted to send, when another message from Daniel showed up on the small screen in his hand:

‘It was the delivery guy. I told him to leave your dinner on the doorstep in case you’re not opening. Please eat something.’

It was the _please_ that hit Johnny the hardest. He swallowed thickly. He was in no position to take care of himself all the time and Daniel knew that. He had sent food over, because he was worried he wouldn’t eat or replace dinner with his favourite cheap beer. The joke was on him, because Johnny was out of beer and out of energy to buy more. He appreciated the sentiment regardless.

Slowly he got up from the couch and walked to the door. He opened it only a crack and peeked outside, half expecting the delivery guy to be still standing in front of it. But thankfully there was no-one to be seen. Only a brown paper bag at his feet with a note that stated ‘Paid’.

Johnny took the bag inside and placed its contents on the table, settling back on the couch. For the first time today, his lips curled into a half smile. It was sushi. A while ago, Daniel had introduced him to the wonderful world of raw fish and rice and Johnny ended up liking it. It was too expensive for its own good, but oh so tasty. It was also cold food, because not even Daniel could know when Johnny would find the energy to pick it up. A very smart move, he had to admit.

He still didn’t feel very hungry when he started eating, but at least he felt a bit more energized which was definitely a good sign. Johnny was almost proud of himself when he realized he had eaten almost all of the sushi rolls. Wasting expensive food was a crime, so he tried not to commit it.

Johnny’s eyes found his phone again and he remembered that he still hadn’t messaged Daniel at all today. He suddenly had a much better idea than a normal text response. He grabbed a pen from the table, crossed out the ‘Paid’ on the note from the bag and scribbled a ‘Thanks’ underneath it. He even added a little smiley face, because it was true. This small gesture had made his entire day. He took a photo of the note and sent it to Daniel.

The response arrived almost immediately:

‘You’re very welcome. I’ll be coming over in the morning with breakfast. Have a good night. <3’

Johnny had to tilt his head to understand the meaning of the odd smaller than three emoji that was added to the message, but that didn’t stop him from smiling at it when he finally understood it. He felt lighter than the whole rest of the day and with the knowledge that Daniel would be there in the morning, he could even let himself believe that tomorrow would be a better day. 


	2. Chapter 2

2

The rain was pouring and Johnny hated rain. And he hated driving in it even more. But he also had a crappy day and didn’t want to spend the evening alone, brooding, letting dark thoughts cloud his mind. One sacrifice had to be made to end this day on a brighter note, so he had decided to drive to Daniel. At least he didn’t have to walk in the downfall. It was a small mercy considering how hard the car wipers had to work to make sure he could see something through the windshield. Johnny turned them to the quickest level even though he was already driving much slower than normal. The last thing he needed right now was a car crash.

The water drops were loud on the roof of the car, almost louder than the radio, and then Johnny realized that the rain was accompanied by a storm. He should have turned back, but he was already much closer to Daniel’s place than to his own now. Usually Johnny felt safe in his car, but he was getting uncomfortable and just wished he would finally reach his destination.

Suddenly he saw a lightning struck through the sky and heard the loud rumble of the thunder and it startled him. It reminded him of his childhood when he always hid underneath the covers with a flashlight at night when there was a thunderstorm outside and nobody else was at home. As an adult Johnny wasn’t terribly afraid of them anymore, but he preferred to be inside when they happened, because they still made him a little anxious.

Another lightning and rolling thunder, but this time it was also accompanied by a gust of wind and a sudden crack in front of him. Johnny blinked in confusion. Did something just… break? He slowed down the car more and tried to focus on the road, but then he realized that his vision was much more limited than it was before. One of the windshield wipers was gone. _Fuck_.

Johnny sighed, then took the next best opportunity to finally stop the car entirely. He took a deep breath. What an awful day this was. He couldn’t drive like that, it wasn’t safe enough, not even for an experienced driver. He considered his options. There weren’t many, to be fair. Calling an Uber sounded like the most reasonable one, but he also didn’t want anyone else to drive around in this weather.

He wasn’t sure where he was exactly, so he got out of his car to check for a street sign. The name didn’t ring a bell for Johnny, but thankfully Daniel had taught him how to use the navigation app on this phone, so he let his phone find his location and then checked how far away he was from Daniel’s place. About 20 minutes walking distance. He sighed. His clothes were already drenched and he didn’t look forward to feeling like a fish, but everything was better than sitting around waiting.

There was not a single dry spot on Johnny’s clothes and body when he finally reached Daniel’s place. He unlocked the front door with clammy hands and realized how much his hands were shivering when he needed a few tries to fit the key into the lock. He was cold and wet and numb, but at least he had made it safely to the house.

Johnny was standing in the hallway, hesitant and unsure what to do. Walking further into the house would make everything wet and Daniel wouldn’t appreciate that. But he shouldn’t just stand around either. Johnny was still in thoughts when he heard a loud gasp in front of him. Daniel, who else.

“What the hell, Johnny?!” He sounded more worried than angry and Johnny could see his first instinct was to come closer, but then he shook his head and turned around with a “Hold on a sec.” A moment later Daniel returned with a large white towel. 

“Get out of these clothes,” he ordered.

“But the floor,” Johnny protested weakly.

“Do I look like I care about the damn floor? No. But I care about you not getting pneumonia, John.”

Johnny nodded slowly and undressed himself until he was standing in the hallway completely naked. Daniel sighed and wrapped the towel around him, rubbing him dry. He didn’t ask questions, but Johnny could see he had lots of them judging by the crease on his forehead and the raised eyebrows.

“You should take a shower,” he said after he was done drying Johnny thoroughly.

Something in Johnny wanted to add that it made no sense to get dry only to get wet again, but a hot shower sounded like paradise to him, so he simply agreed with a nod.

Daniel’s hand cupped his jaw and his thumb stroked softly across his lips. The finger felt hot on Johnny’s cold lips and he was wondering if they were a touch blue. Considering the concerned way Daniel looked at him, they probably were. The thumb was replaced with lips for a moment and Johnny felt warmer immediately.

“I’ll be in the living room when you’re done,” Daniel said with a soft smile, hand still lingering on his face, and Johnny couldn’t help but smile back.

The shower had definitely helped to warm Johnny up again and he felt much better dressed in a fluffy black gown when he joined Daniel in the living room. He was exhausted, but Daniel didn’t have to know that. Johnny saw how Daniel immediately made space on the couch for him by positioning himself in the corner and placed a pillow in his lap. It was an obvious invitation.

Johnny hesitated. He appreciated the gesture, but he was unsure whether or not he should accept it. It was… too kind, too soft. He still wasn’t used to this kind of treatment and he wasn’t sure if he would ever be. He remembered a conversation with Daniel in which Daniel had openly told him that he could be vulnerable around Johnny and that he could do the same. Daniel would not judge him.

After a moment of consideration Johnny decided to trust Daniel and laid down on the couch, his head resting on the pillow in Daniel’s lap. He closed his eyes, enjoyed the warmth around him and the feeling of safety. He could feel long fingers carefully carding through his hair. Daniel’s other hand rested on his stomach, so Johnny moved his hand there as well and intertwined their fingers.

“Do you wanna tell me what happened?” Daniel asked quietly and Johnny opened his eyes again, looked up to a worried brown pair.

“Today has been… rough,” he finally admitted. “At home I would’ve only gotten drunk. Driving in the thunderstorm wasn’t actually that bad, but then I lost a wiper and had to walk the rest of the way.” He shrugged a little and heard Daniel sigh audibly.

“At least you didn’t try to drive with only one wiper.”

“I might be stupid, but not _that_ stupid, LaRusso. And even though others would beg to differ, I don’t actually have a death wish.”

Johnny bit his tongue. This came out much harsher than he had intended. Unfortunately that was a byproduct of him letting his guard down. It not only showed the softer parts of him, but also the really ugly ones he usually tried to hide from other people.

“I’m just glad you’re safe,” Daniel said and Johnny was almost certain he didn’t only mean today by the way he held him a bit tighter now.

“Where is your car now?” he wanted to know and to Daniel’s confusion, Johnny chuckled.

“What?”

“I’m not ditching my car because of a lost wiper, Mr. I-sell-cars-for-a-living.”

Now Daniel laughed as well and Johnny smiled. He loved that laugh so much.

“But to answer your question: Crown street. It’s like 20 minutes away from here, by foot that is.”

“Did you actually use the map app?” Johnny saw Daniel’s grin and they both knew the question was a rhetorical one. Then he rolled his eyes.

“I can drop you off at your car in the morning on my way to work.” It sounded like a peace offering and that was good enough for Johnny.

“Thanks,” he said and raised his head as far as he could to meet Daniel’s lips when he bowed down for a kiss.

The next day Johnny was almost as annoyed as he was the day before, but for completely different reasons. The worst part was the sun shining brightly all day long as to mock him and everything that had happened yesterday. At least he had gotten his car back and the training with his students was also much more successful. He could finally see the progress he was missing for a while.

When he arrived at home in the evening, there was a little package waiting for him on the kitchen counter and a note that said:

‘It’s dangerous to drive alone! Take this. – Daniel’

Inside the package was a new pair of windshield wipers. Johnny smiled about the fact that Daniel couldn’t stand the thought of him only having one wiper for longer than a day, even when it was clear and sunny on that particular day. Johnny also had a feeling that this note had a reference to something in it, but he didn’t know where it was from. He made a mental note to ask Miguel about it tomorrow. 


	3. Chapter 3

3

People had always underestimated Johnny. For a long time he was just a pretty boy raised with a silver spoon, later he was only a messy loser with no perspective or future, eventually they thought he became too old to fight, let alone win one. Johnny didn’t really mind anymore. He was pretty much used to it. Thankfully, he knew who he really was and what he was capable of – most of the time, at least. He needed a gentle reminder here and there, but he finally had people in his life who took care of that.

The majority didn’t even scratch on the surface, they just assumed what they wanted to assume. And they didn’t give Johnny enough credit for anything he had done so far. They only saw a mess of a man who was still stuck in the 80s more often than not and who hadn’t reached anything in life. Except it wasn’t even close to the truth.

They would be surprised if they knew how organised Johnny was when it came to his dojo. His job was what he was most passionate about and it showed. He had to learn a lot before he could even open it and then more afterwards – insurance, accounting, taxes, maintenance, filing. And he did. He also kept track of all his students’ individual progress to make sure he could adjust their training when necessary. He didn’t want anyone to fall behind.

These files were the reason he was still in his office at 10pm on a Friday evening. Most of the progress data consisted of scribbled notes put into the according files. They were all dated, but that was only a very small mercy, because there were so many of them. Johnny was also the only one who could actually read them and he thought that was fine… until he got the flu and was out of order for two weeks. Daniel and Miguel had tried to cover for him with his notes as best as they could, but it was almost impossible for them to decipher the handwriting and get any valuable information out of it.

After that, Johnny had decided to digitized the files and Miguel was happy to help him setting everything up on his laptop. He only needed to type in the data and everything else would work its magic automatically. The problem was, Johnny wasn’t a fast typer and the whole process took him forever. It was encouraging to know that once he had all of the files digitized, the base was set and everything after that would be much quicker, because then he only needed to add the progresses or new students once in a while. Unfortunately, until then, he had to go through this hassle one time.

He didn’t hear how the front door to the dojo opened, so the sudden voice simply saying “hey” from his office door practically made him jump. Daniel was leaning on the door frame, smiling softly, not in suit and tie anymore. A clear sign it was already late and he had been at home before. He also wouldn’t be at the dojo if he wasn’t at least a little worried about Johnny’s absence on their precious Friday evening. 

“Hey,” Johnny mumbled and asked “Missed me so much?” while he was looking at the screen again.

He only realized that Daniel had walked behind him when he put his chin on Johnny’s head, arms loosely wrapped around his neck. Johnny sighed. The distraction was welcomed, but he really wanted to finish his work.

“Yes, I missed you.” Daniel kissed his ear and neck, and his breath was warm against Johnny’s skin. It would be so easy to give in now.

“Daniel.”

“Hm?” he asked absentmindedly while still caressing Johnny’s neck.

“Please stop.”

Daniel stopped immediately and stepped away. Johnny turned around to face him and saw the hurt in his brown eyes. He knew Daniel couldn’t handle rejection very well, but he also didn’t know what else he could’ve done other than saying what he wanted. Johnny took one of Daniel’s hands in his and laced their fingers together. His thumb stroked the back of his hand. He hoped this gesture would count as non-rejection.

“I’m sorry,” Johnny said, as apologetic as he could. “It’s not like I don’t wanna go home with you and enjoy the Friday evening, really. But,” he gestured to the laptop on the table with his free hand. “I need to finish this. What if I get sick again or have an accident or some shit and the kids can’t be trained properly for weeks? I don’t want that. They don’t deserve this just because nobody can read my shitty handwriting.”

Johnny looked at their intertwined fingers, then felt a hand on his cheeks. He would have given a lot to hear Daniel’s mind in that moment. The way his whole face softened and the smile told him a lot though. He understood in a way only Daniel could understand him. He knew his students were important to Johnny and that he wanted the best for them.

“Okay,” Daniel said and let go of his cheek and hand.

Johnny thought he would leave the office and go home, but he didn’t. Instead, he grabbed the chair from the other side of the table and placed it next to Johnny who tried not to huff. Someone staring at him while he was working was absolutely not what he wanted, not even when it was his partner. He blinked in confusion when Daniel didn’t sit down, but looked at him expectantly.

“Get up,” he ordered and gestured to the empty chair.

“But-”

“No buts, do it.”

Johnny trusted Daniel enough to comply, so he sat down, now unable to keep working. Daniel took his place in front of the laptop and stretched his fingers. They made a cracking sound. He handed Johnny the file that was on top of the pile and smiled.

“You read, I type,” he finally explained and Johnny’s eyes widened.

No, that was wrong. It was Friday evening, Daniel was not supposed to work anymore, especially not for _him_ , at _his_ dojo. That was Johnny’s job and he didn’t want to bother someone else with it. Johnny hesitated and bit his lips. He looked at Daniel whose smile was so genuine, it was almost unfair.

“Just let me help you, Johnny. Please.”

And suddenly, he understood. Daniel had known that asking if he needed help would have only ended in Johnny refusing and getting defensive about being able to do his job on his own. So he simply didn’t ask, but set them up to work together, more efficiently and definitely faster than Johnny on his own.

“You-,“ he started, but then stopped himself. The way Daniel looked at him told Johnny he knew that he didn’t have to help him, but wanted it anyway. And he looked like he was sure. Johnny wasn’t used to people doing something for him purely out of kindness. It felt wrong and he was always wondering if they expected something in return for it. He knew that Daniel didn’t expect anything from him other than finally finishing his work and being able to go home and relax though.

In one smooth move Johnny grabbed Daniel’s neck and pulled him into a deep kiss. He couldn’t find proper words, so he tried to put his gratitude into this gesture instead. He could feel Daniel smile against his lips and knew it worked the way he imagined it. Johnny had no idea how he deserved this man.

“Alright,” he said when he pulled back and opened the file in his lap. “Let’s finish this shit and leave the more fun stuff for later.”


	4. Chapter 4

4

Johnny was sitting in his car in front of his dojo. He had his head propped on his hands on the steering wheel, his phone was lying in his lap. He looked at it as if it was his worst enemy and to be fair, sometimes it really was. Johnny sighed, grabbed it, and suddenly the little device felt much heavier than it actually was.

He hated this. He hated that he wondered almost every single day whether he should drive home after training or _home_. His other home. The better one. The one where Daniel was. More often than not he decided against Daniel’s place, because he didn’t want to come across as needy or annoying. The last thing he wanted was to bother his partner after a long day at the dealership. He deserved peace and quiet, not Johnny’s constant chatter about everything and nothing.

It was probably stupid and Johnny knew that. Not once had Daniel told him to leave when he showed up in the evening unannounced. Not once did he look displeased in the slightest, as if he really enjoyed Johnny’s presence at his place which was almost too much of a thought to handle for him.

When Daniel had handed him a key to the house, Johnny looked like he had never seen a key before in his entire life. It was a clear sign of ‘You are always welcome’ and it implied that he didn’t have to ask if it was okay for him to come over. The key said it was. And Johnny used it, sometimes, but most of the time he at least asked if Daniel was at home. He wasn’t comfortable being in his house alone and always felt out of place there until Daniel showed up.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when his phone made a low _pling_ sound and the screen enlightened for a moment. Johnny could only see the name ‘Daniel’ before the device darkened again. Of course it was him. He unlocked the phone with a sigh, read the message and couldn’t help himself but smile.

‘I’m home now, if you want to come over after training? Would like to have you around <3’

Johnny was wondering if Daniel had a sixth sense for days like this. Days when his own insecurities stopped him from seeing his partner. Days when he needed to be told someone wanted to have him around even when he felt like nobody would want that after a day of dealing with all kinds of people. Or in general. And not only that, he had also mentioned he was home already, so Johnny didn’t have to worry about feeling out of place.

He texted Daniel back ‘On my way’ and finally started the car.

The closer he got to Daniel’s place, the calmer Johnny got and by the time he pulled into the driveway, he knew he made the right decision today. He slipped into the house and the smell of food tickled his nose instantly. He tapped in the kitchen where Daniel was stirring something in a pot, his back to him.

Johnny wrapped his arms around him from behind, interlaced his fingers on Daniel’s stomach, and kissed his cheek. He could see how a smile stretched across Daniel’s face even though he couldn’t see all of it.

“Welcome home, Johnny.”

“Thanks,” he hummed, feeling much more grounded when having his hands on Daniel.

“Dinner is almost ready, could you set the table, please?”

Johnny made a displeased sound, not because he didn’t want to help, but simply because he didn’t want to let go. He definitely was needy. And touch-starved. And a bit pathetic. Daniel didn’t say anything about it, not even when he turned him around to kiss him properly. Instead, he leaned into the kiss, seemed to enjoy himself just as much as Johnny did.

They parted when Johnny’s stomach suddenly growled and Daniel started laughing. Johnny rolled his eyes. Even his body wanted him to stop idling around and set the table. He opened one of the cabinets to get the plates and got to work.

During dinner they fell into their familiar routine of chatting about the food, work, and Johnny telling Daniel about something new he had learnt from his students – today it was a band that Daniel already knew, because Sam listened to them a lot as well. They actually tried to analyse the style mix and the texts, but didn’t get far with it. And it was okay, they still had a good laugh about it.

Afterwards Johnny was carefully led into the bedroom. He swallowed thickly when Daniel whispered “Take off your shirt and lie down, I’ll be right back.”

He knew he wasn’t in the right mindset to have sex tonight, but could he just tell Daniel? Wouldn’t he be disappointed? Or finally see him as the loser he was again? Johnny could feel himself spiraling down quickly in his thoughts, getting separated from reality, staring at the patterns on the floor.

He was grounded again when Daniel’s hand touched his cheek to get his attention. He realized he hadn’t moved an inch since Daniel left, let alone taken his shirt off. Johnny looked up and saw nothing but love and concern in these brown eyes. He took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, I don’t-,“ he started hesitantly, but Daniel shook his head.

“It’s okay, Johnny, really. Keep your shirt on if you’re not comfortable and just lie down for me, please?”

Johnny looked down again and spotted a small bottle in Daniel’s hand. It didn’t look like lube, so he tilted his head in confusion. And as always, Daniel knew what he was thinking, answered his unspoken question with a fond smile.

“Massage oil. You seemed so tense, I thought you could use one.”

“You really wanna give me a massage?” he asked in disbelief and could hear Daniel laugh.

“I wouldn’t offer it if I didn’t. Sooo, do you want me to or not?”

It was the way Daniel had asked him that did it. Johnny realized it wasn’t him being impatient, but reassuring. Reassuring that it was okay if he wanted to be touched and taken care of. Reassuring that Daniel wouldn’t do anything that was out of his comfort zone without his clear consent.

Johnny gave Daniel a halfsmile and a nod and finally took his shirt off. He lay down on the bed on his stomach, rested his head on his arms. Only moments later he could feel Daniel’s weight on his thighs, wiggling a little to find a position that was comfortable for both of them.

“Is that okay?” Daniel asked when he was settled.

“Yeah,” he simply confirmed.

The next thing he heard was a _click_ most likely from the bottle with the oil. His assumption was confirmed when Daniel rubbed his palms together for a moment before laying his hands on Johnny’s shoulder. He shuddered, suddenly hyper-aware of his exposed back and the fact that he couldn’t see what Daniel was doing.

“Relax,” Daniel whispered. “It’s just me.”

_Just._

Johnny knew that Daniel would never be _just_ Daniel to him, and never had been if he was honest with himself. Johnny had let him way too close to him, too deep into his life, heart, and mind. But he didn’t say any of that. Instead, he closed his eyes and breathed:

“I know.”

With his eyes closed he could feel Daniel’s hands on his bare skin even more intense than before. They were warm and solid, carefully travelling across his back. There was the faint scent of peppermint in the air from the oil, but he didn’t mind it at all.

Johnny let his mind drift and couldn’t help but wonder if Mr. Miyagi had taught Daniel how to give good massages. He imagined something along the lines of ‘If you know your own body, you can learn to know someone else’s body, too’. He wasn’t sure what the point of a lesson like that could be, he only knew that Daniel was really skilled at this.

No-one knew Johnny’s body better than him. It was clear in the way Daniel tried to smooth the tense muscles and knots without applying too much pressure that it could startle or actually hurt him. He was also extra careful with Johnny’s left shoulder that he had dislocated during training a few months ago. 

“You okay?” Daniel asked when Johnny’s throat escaped a sound somewhere between a sigh and a moan.

He kept his voice low, barely above a whisper to not ruin the mood. Johnny nodded. Words weren’t necessary. He trusted Daniel. And that thought was equally as calming as it was scary.

Johnny wasn’t good with trust in general. Life had taught him countless times that if you trusted someone, they would stab you in the back the second you let your guard down. He was betrayed so many times he wasn’t surprised he struggled with something that seemed so crucial for a lot of people’s relationship. How could someone trust you if you didn’t trust them in return?

But for whatever reason Daniel could. He was patient enough with Johnny to deal with his trust issues. He was okay with Johnny not wanting to be hugged from behind, because it triggered bad memories and made him feel suffocated. He didn’t complain when Johnny told him he doesn’t want to be taken from behind either, because then he couldn’t see what was happening.

For the majority of his life Johnny had felt like he needed to be in control to not get hurt. Daniel was the one who had taught him control wasn’t always necessary. The first time Johnny had agreed on switching positions in bed, he let Daniel take over the lead entirely. And when he was finally inside of Johnny, he kept telling him “You’re safe, I’ve got you” and Johnny had almost teared up.

This right here wasn’t sex, but it was just as intimate, especially because Johnny could only feel what Daniel was doing. Yet, it was okay for him to be lying on the bed with his eyes closed and back bare while Daniel was sitting on his thighs, taking care of his body. He wouldn’t get hurt, Daniel just wanted to make him feel better. And it worked.

Johnny actually fell asleep during the treatment after a while. He didn’t realize how Daniel noticed that the body underneath him had started to raise and lower differently than before. He was also unaware of the kiss planted on his neck after Daniel took his hands off his back. And the whispered “Thank you” as a statement of gratitude for his trust faded in the air completely unheard. But Johnny was smiling softly in his sleep as if he was dreaming about this exact moment all over again.


	5. Chapter 5

5

It was exactly 6pm when Johnny felt his phone vibrating in one of his pockets. He reached for it to turn off the alarm and earned a raised eyebrow from the man sitting across from him.

“Is everything alright?”

Johnny nodded, then he took a deep breath and shook his head.

“I’m supposed to pick up my son in 15 minutes and I will be late if I don’t leave like… now.”

“I obviously cannot keep you here for longer than you wish to be, Mister Lawrence, but please keep in mind what I’ve been telling you for a while now: Your health should _always_ come before everything else.”

Johnny snorted. “Robby would probably beg to differ.”

“Does he know where you are right now?”

“No.”

“You need to tell him at some point. I know you think this would be admitting weakness, but-“

“Yeah, I know,” Johnny interrupted, pinching his nose, suddenly tired of this conversation they have had too many times already.

He really did know, he just had no idea how to tell Robby. He wasn’t sure if he would be listening or even believe his words. Dammit, if he couldn’t even trust his own kid, how could he ever wish for Robby to trust him?

“Could someone else pick him up for you?” he was asked and Johnny looked at his phone again.

“I… think so,” he admitted and wanted to punch the smile out of Mister Cooper’s face. But it was too genuine, too honest. And Johnny actually thought the man wasn’t half as bad as he expected it in the beginning.

He typed a message to Daniel, surprisingly quick. He had gotten really good at this.

‘Can you pick up Robby from his Tennis training for me? I need longer here and don’t wanna make him wait.’

The response came immediately: ‘Sure thing.’

Johnny sighed in relief and focused on Mister Cooper again. He needed to set priorities, even if he didn’t like them sometimes.

When Johnny finally arrived at home it was over an hour later than he had originally planned. His mind felt slow and drained and he just wanted to collapse on the couch for a while in a small hope he could dodge the headache.

But his plan was interfered by someone standing in front of his door, with arms crossed in front of the chest, face neutral. Robby. Johnny bit back a sigh. He deserved Robby’s anger, he promised to pick him up and then sent Daniel to do it. He just wasn’t sure if he could handle it without getting drunk afterwards to forget about it and numb the pain for a while.

“Hey Robby,” he said, a little nervous.

“Hey.” Robby sounded just as neutral as his face looked. “Can we talk?”

Johnny actually considered saying no, but he wanted to get it over with and knew that delaying the talk wouldn’t get him anywhere either. So he nodded and opened the door to his apartment.

Now Johnny was actually nervous. He walked into the kitchen and saw how Robby sat down on the couch.

“Do you want something to drink?” he asked, aiming for casually, while filling himself a glass of orange juice.

“No.”

“Okay.”

Johnny took a sip of his juice and sat down next to Robby, but also tried to keep as much distance as possible between them on the couch. He didn’t dare to look at him and kept his eyes on the glass in his hands.

“You didn’t pick me up from training today.”

“Yeah.” There was no reason in trying to deny the fact. He wanted to add the reason, but he felt like Robby didn’t want to hear it or would call it an excuse no matter what he said. Or maybe he was just a coward.

But he felt Robby’s gaze on him and finally turned his head to see his face. Less cold than he expected, he realized. He was still expecting an outburst though. A verbal punch straight into his heart. He saw how Robby lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

“At least you sent Daniel.”

“I didn’t wanna let you wait.”

Robby tilted his head a little, weighing the words for his response. “I would’ve been less mad at you for letting me wait longer than for not showing up at all.”

Johnny couldn’t hold back the bitter laugh. Robby had just admitted he would’ve been mad anyway. No way there was any other interpretation possible here, right? He just couldn’t win with his son. It shouldn’t surprise him, but it hurt. He was already looking forward to getting drunk later when he was alone again.

“I just wanted to be honest with you here, dad.”

Johnny wished he could be honest with Robby in return, but that was completely out of question. If he was, he would only give bitter responses. Would ask him if he really wanted to be honest or just wanted to hurt him. So he stayed quiet to not make the situation worse.

“Do you not wanna say anything in your defence?” Robby asked, sounding a little helpless now.

“An appointment took longer than I had planned,” he stated hesitantly and knew it wasn’t enough. It would never be as long as he was hiding the truth.

He could hear Robby sigh. It was the exact same way he was usually doing it – loudly and with his eyes closed. 

“After training, when I saw Daniel’s car instead of yours, I was pissed off. I was basically complaining about you the second I opened the passenger door,” he explained and Johnny had no idea where this was heading.

“For a bit he just ignored it, I think, but then-,” he paused and suddenly smiled. “He gets really protective when it comes to you, you know?”

Johnny nodded. Yeah, Daniel was like that. He didn’t know he even protected him when he wasn’t around though. Especially not in front of Robby. But apparently he did. And it made Johnny smile as well.

“He actually snapped at me and…”

He didn’t continue. Johnny didn’t like that. _At all_.

“And what?” he asked impatiently.

Their eyes met and the way Robby looked at him made him feel uneasy.

“Daniel accidentally gave away where you were.”

Silence fell over them. Johnny closed his eyes, took deep breaths, and tried to keep his emotions under control. Do not freak out, do not freak out, do not… He almost jumped when Robby’s fingers brushed his when taking the glass out of his hands that he was still clutching. Then Robby’s hands grabbed one of his and held it tightly.

“It’s okay, dad, really. I’m glad you’re finally getting the help you need. I just… I would like to know about this. Like, I wanna be a part of your life, but it’s hard when you’re shutting me out of everything important that doesn’t include Daniel.”

Johnny looked at him and swallowed thickly. He tried to wrap his mind around Robby’s words. He was… glad? He wanted to know things about him? He wanted to be a part of his life? It felt absolutely surreal, but the warm hands holding his were grounding and reminded him it was real.

“Thank you,” he managed to choke out.

He wanted to hug Robby, tell him how much he loved him and wanted him to be an important part of his life, but he didn’t. He couldn’t. It would be way too much and he didn’t want to ruin the situation. His hands were shaking and his vision started swimming. For a moment he thought he was about to pass out, but thankfully nothing happened.

“I thought if I told you I’m seeing a shrink, you’d just look down on me even more,” Johnny finally admitted honestly, his voice barely above a whisper. “I knew I had to tell you at some point, but… there is never a good time for it.”

He saw Robby’s sad smile and felt his hand being squeezed a little tighter. The painfully obvious lack of trust in each other was a big issue they needed to tackle. It made their relationship much more complicated, but trust wasn’t easily gained after everything that happened. They needed to start somewhere. Small steps in the right direction.

“I’m not looking down on you anymore… I’m proud of you for running a successful business and maintaining a healthy relationship and reaching out even when it’s super hard for you. There is nothing shameful in getting help. You don’t have to deal with everything on your own.”

Johnny nodded silently, didn’t trust his voice. He was sure Robby didn’t only mean Mister Cooper on the last part. It was not only him who helped him through the really dark days, through low energy and distrust. There were a handful of people who wanted to see him happy and safe as well. People who he didn’t have to pay loads of money to make them listen to him.

“Maybe,” Robby started, a little shy all of a sudden. “We can start planning regular meetups? Like, more than just you picking me up from training? You see your therapist on Tuesdays, right? And I know there are no evening classes at Cobra Kai on Wednesdays, so maybe we could use that? Just you and I, hanging out, cooking or going to the beach or something. I’m not picky and-”

“I-I would like that,” Johnny interrupted him, not to be rude, but because he had realized Robby was babbling out of nervousness, his point out in the open since his first sentence already.

When he saw Robby’s smile, he couldn’t help but also smile. And then Robby lurched forward and hugged him tightly. Johnny was stiff and unmoving for a moment, but then he remembered that Robby had initiated the contact, so it was okay. He wrapped his arms around him and it felt like coming home. There was a long and bumpy road ahead of them, but they had finally found common ground and knew they wanted to go in the same direction.

Johnny didn’t need alcohol after this conversation which was always a good sign. He only wanted to call Daniel and thank him. Yes, he had spilled the beans about him seeing a professional, but it hadn’t happened on purpose or with a malicious intent. And at least Johnny didn’t have to tell Robby about it anymore. Good things arose from it in the end and Johnny was once more grateful that Daniel always got his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that escalated the most, yet it's such an important one.   
> Originally it was a simple idea of "Daniel picks up Robby from somewhere instead of Johnny" and then I realized I needed a reason. A good one. And then I couldn't drop the topic... and here we are.   
> I have a lot of feels about Johnny's and Robby's relationship and I just want them to learn more about each other and be a little closer.   
> I'm also absolutely terrified about what new canon season 3 will give us tomorrow, that's why I wanted to release this chapter early.


	6. Chapter 6

+1

The sun was already setting down when Daniel finally left the dealership. His head throbbed and he was exhausted. People had been getting on his nerves all week and he just wanted to go home and then immediately crash. Dinner was optional.

He looked at his watch and sighed deeply. Not only was there still a training to be held, no, he would be late, too. Maybe he could message Sam to start without him and do the warmup already. But that would have also wasted more time that he could use driving to the dojo. He ran his fingers through his hair, felt the sting of his head and got into his car.

Daniel could hear a bunch of voices when he arrived. Too many, too loud. He winced, knowing his headache would only get worse within the next few minutes. Of course he could have just cancelled training for today and sent his students home, but he didn’t want to disappoint them, especially when he was just having a headache. One that could easily turn into a full-grown migraine at any minute, but he tried to ignore that fact.

Carefully he opened the little wooden door to the garden and spotted the kids already doing their warmup in unison. Samantha and Robby were among them, steady figures the others could look at in case they lost their timing or wanted to correct their poses. Daniel smiled, then he realized that if both of his best students were among the others, someone else must be leading the warmup.

He looked to the front row, then further and suddenly saw Johnny. Johnny, doing kata poses and reminding the kids to control their breathing and focus on their balance while feeling the grass and unsteady ground underneath their feet. If he didn’t know better, he could have been easily fooled into thinking this was his ordinary territory. Daniel had never seen him like this before and was truly fascinated.

He was still staring when he saw how Johnny’s head moved in his direction, mouth turned into his classic halfsmile. Daniel took a step closer, determined to take over the class, but Johnny made a dismissive move with his hand and he stopped in his track. They locked eyes for a moment and Daniel could see the answer to his unasked question written in Johnny’s eyes: I’ve got this, you can leave.

Daniel bit his lip, unsure if it was really okay to drive home and rest. This was his class after all. But Johnny seemed to have everything under control and Daniel’s head reminded him constantly that he shouldn’t waste more time standing around when all he wanted was to lie down and close his eyes. He considered it for a moment longer, then nodded to Johnny whose smile grew a little bit wider at that, and turned back to the car.

At home he went straight into the living room and threw his tired body onto the couch where he sighed contently and closed his eyes. He would prepare dinner before the training finished, but for now, he just wanted to enjoy the silence around him.

When Daniel opened his eyes again, there was artificial light around him and he felt a little disorientated. His head didn’t throb as badly anymore, so he considered that a success. He didn’t plan on falling asleep, but it was already dark outside, so he definitely did. He peeked at his watch to check the time and groaned in frustration. Training was long over and there was no dinner made for Johnny and the kids. He internally scolded his body for betraying him like this.

There was an aspirin and a glass of water on the table in front of him that looked untouched, so he decided it was his now. He swallowed the pill and drank the whole glass. Staying hydrated would definitely help keeping his headache at bay until he could actually turn in for the night.

He got up and walked into the kitchen, wanting to check the dinner situation. He found Johnny sitting at the table, flipping through the pages of a car magazine, pausing here and there to actually read something. He looked up at Daniel and smiled.

“Do you feel better?” he asked softly. Daniel nodded.

“Where are the kids?” he wanted to know in return and looked around as if to find them in the kitchen.

“In Sam’s room. They wanted to try that new game she borrowed from Anthony the other day. You know, nerd shit and all.”

“What about dinner?” Daniel was actually confused and it didn’t get any better when Johnny started laughing.

“It’s past 8, Daniel. They had dinner already. Obviously nothing too fancy since you were out of order, but we managed to make pasta and sauce for all. Your plate is in the fridge,” he explained and nodded in the direction of it.

Daniel sighed, relieved that they had dinner that wasn’t just them ordering pizza, but also feeling disappointed, because he hadn’t been there for it. He opened the fridge to take out his plate, then raised an eyebrow in surprise.

“Why is there a second plate?”

“It’s mine.”

He turned around, but Johnny wasn’t looking at him.

“Did you actually wait for me with dinner?”

Johnny shrugged, but didn’t take his eyes off the magazine, not even when he mumbled: “I know you don’t like eating alone.”

Daniel smiled, touched. He heated the two plates of pasta, then sat down next to Johnny. They ate in comfortable silence. Daniel appreciated it since he couldn’t trust his head just yet. After they finished, he took the empty plates to rinse them before placing them in the dishwasher. Suddenly there was a hand on his and Johnny was very close to him.

“How about you let me do this and call it a day?” he asked and Daniel could see the concern in his eyes.

“It’s not even late, Johnny.” 

“Doesn’t matter when you’re already beat.”

Daniel knew Johnny was right, but he also disliked the thought of not being able to spend at least a few hours of their Friday evening together. He hesitated and suddenly felt a warm hand on his cheek. He looked up, directly into Johnny’s clear blue eyes.

“Okay, how about that,” he started. “You’re gonna take a nice long shower while I clean up and then we both head to bed.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Daniel agreed and reached up to kiss Johnny. His lips were soft and warm and everything he needed right now. He closed his eyes for a moment and took in the familiar scent he loved so much.

He started towards the bathroom, but then turned around and said with a smile: “Thanks for helping out with training today, by the way.”

Johnny smiled back, a little too wide. “I would say ‘anytime’, but no, I can’t do that anytime. It’s definitely not badass enough.”

Daniel knew that wasn’t true. Johnny would step in whenever he needed a break like today, but obviously he would never admit that. So Daniel only rolled his eyes fondly at that comment and left the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand this is it!   
> Thank you all so much for reading! <3
> 
> Let's end with a funfact:  
> The last chapter is actually the 1st one I wrote (don't ask me why, because I don't have an answer), so after posting the other 5 chapters I needed to edit it quite a bit to make it fit into the rest of the story, but it was worth it.


End file.
